Bridge Authority Years Please be patient while pictures load.
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In 1999, The Authority opened a walkway on the Mid-Hudson Bridge.  The Mid-Hudson Bridge Scenic Walkway was dedicated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 24, 1999.

The combination of EZ-Pass for commuters and an additional toll lane at the Mid-Hudson toll plaza eliminated the morning rush hour wait for commuters in 1999.  Prior to this, the average wait at the toll plaza could be between 12 and 18 minutes every day, which could aggregate 60 hours on an annual basis.
To compliment the 1999 installation of new sidewalks and railings on both sides of the bridge, a $600,000 contract awarded for construction of a sidewalk ramp at the eastern approach.  This allows pedestrians, cyclists and the handicapped access to the bridge from a local street in Poughkeepsie, completely eliminating crossing an active vehicle ramp.  The Mid-Hudson Bridge now offers vistas of the Hudson Valley on the only walkway across the river in a 60 mile stretch from Newburgh to Hudson.
An $8,537,206 painting and steel repair contract, at the Mid-Hudson Bridge awarded early in 2000.  The project included lead paint abatement, maintenance scraping and painting and metalwork repairs below the roadway. 

The year 2000 also saw the completion of prior year contracts for anchorage dehumidification, approach roadway repairs and substructure repairs.

The 70th anniversary of the Mid-Hudson Bridge was observed in 2000 with an open invitation to the public and area media to tour the bridge's new "Walkway Over the Hudson" and inspect the east anchorage room, an area of the bridge rarely seen by the general public.  While trekking across the bridge, guests were greeted by Authority maintenance staff working overhead in "spider buckets" while cleaning and painting the hanger ropes.
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